A technology of retrieving an optimum component, for example, in a case of performing a circuit design has been known. For example, with respect to a CAD system and program, there has been known a technology of performing a circuit design by effectively using data related to the circuit designs registered in the past. In this technology, a recommended circuit for changing a circuit topology of a circuit to be designed is acquired by retrieving or searching a database unit storing component data and circuit data based on a condition for narrowing down input circuits, and a list of recommended circuits is displayed.
Further, there has been known a technology in which when designing a product, useful materials for determination are supplied to a designer so as to support a design of a superior product. This technology uses a component table database for managing information of a product which includes the designing stage as unique component information, and a component evaluation database for managing evaluation information of each component used to make the product. Further, in the technology, a component constitution list of the product is created for each designer in the component table database, and past component evaluation information of each component used to make the product is determined and stored from the unique component information of the component table database and the component evaluation database. Further, in the technology, the past component evaluation information is displayed in association with the components in the component composition list created by the designer.
Related techniques are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 2009-122718 and 2005-038129.